Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

In the top echelon of world-class singers for many years was Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Born 28 May 1925 in Germany's Zehlendorf, he sang both opera and lieder, in which there's a fine legacy on record. First heard in England under Beecham in Delius' Mass of Life in 1951, he was the first baritone to sing in Britten's War Requiem. He took up conducting in 1975.

Fischer-Dieskau died at home in Berg, Upper Bavaria, on 18 May 2012, aged 86.